Google constantly updates its policies and algorithms to ensure that the search engine results brings value to the users. In that regard, Google update 2022 has some significant updates that will help the users to navigate useful content and ensure that they provide better results.
When it comes to monitoring web pages, website owners should always keep track of all the updates a search engine undergoes. For instance, when it comes to Google, keeping track of all the updates will help you curate your content based on how those updates and changes to search algorithms affect your business’ online standing.
Those who fail to do so will have their rankings dropped. This is why you need to stay ahead of the updates and plan your SEO strategies based on how updates may change the way your business is represented in regard to search engine optimization.
In this article, we have a list of all the google algorithm updates in the year 2022. This will inform you of all the updates Google has rolled out in one year and the details of those updates.
In this article
- What is a Google Update?
- Major Google Update 2022
- Page Experience Update for Desktop (Feb 22)
- Core Web Vitals
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
- First Input Delay (FID)
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
- HTTPS Security
- No Intrusive Interstitials
- Product Review Updates for 2022
- 23rd March
- 27th July
- 20th September
- Core Updates for 2022
- Helpful Content Update (Aug 25)
- Spam Update 2022
- Frequently Asked Questions
- In Conclusion
- Similar Posts
What is a Google Update?
Before diving into the list of all Google updates in 2022, let’s define what an update means when it comes to Google.
Google constantly modifies its algorithm to improve the quality of search results. They also work on updating the overall factors that go into calculating the rankings of millions of web pages.
While this is the general aim of a Google algorithm update, it is necessary to note that for any given update, Google focuses on one factor. In any given year, Google usually rolls out over 600 adaptations and updates to their algorithm.
While most of the updates are not announced to the public, major core updates are usually announced to the public well in advance before they are implemented.
Major Google Update 2022
Page Experience Update for Desktop (Feb 22)
The main idea behind the Page Experience update is to add the user experience as a ranking factor. This update started to roll out for the mobile platform in August 2021, and the same was implemented in February 2022 and completed by the end of march 2022.
This update brought in specific criteria that will check how well the users interact with the web pages and how much it fulfills their expectations. This can be viewed in the experience section on Google search console.
The following are the expected user experience signals from this update:
Core Web Vitals
Core web vitals are a group of factors that Google uses to ensure the quality of the user experience.
The following are the factors that are included in Google’s core web vitals:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – This factor denotes how quickly a site loads up for the user. For a site to be considered “good,” it should be loaded within 2.5 seconds. Any time over 4 seconds would indicate a poor experience.
First Input Delay (FID) – This is a factor that determines how quickly someone can perform any activities on the page. This should be less than 100 milliseconds.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – This factor denotes the visual stability of the site. It checks whether the site is loading when you scroll or if the visual elements are stable.
On an excellent page experience, pages should maintain a CLS score of 0.1 or less.
HTTPS Security
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is an HTTP protocol that denotes that the site is a secure connection. Any website compliant with HTTPS will have a better chance of ranking over a site with only HTTP.
No Intrusive Interstitials
Interstitial web pages are displayed before or after the expected content. The prime examples of this would be the usage of pop-ups for ads and to confirm the user’s age on a webpage.
While interstitial web pages are helpful when used effectively, overusing this would lead to poor user experience, increasing the chance of the website being blocked on the search results.
Product Review Updates for 2022
The product review update is a category of Google algorithm updates aiming to reward reviews beyond simple templated information.
Rather than punishing poor reviews that summarize the products, the product review update aims to reward the reviews that offer insightful analysis of the products.
The following are the criteria listed by Google for a quality review:
- Evaluate the product from the perspective of the user.
- Demonstrate that you are an expert with the product.
- Include comparisons and details about how they are different from competitors.
- Including insightful and helpful details about the products and specific details such as their drawbacks, the performance of the products, and the changes from previous versions.
- Reviews from people who have used the products and show images of the same and explain how they are used.
- Including details beyond the manufacturer’s information in any form, such as audio, image, or even links to other content that provides a detailed explanation.
- Discuss both the benefits and drawbacks of the products based on the original research by the user.
- Identify and list the key deciding factors that go into buying the product and its performance in its category.
- When recommending a product as a base, include evidence of why you consider it the best.
23rd March
This product review is the third one overall and the first for 2022. It works along with the first two product updates and aids in identifying quality reviews that help the users make an informed decision. The rollout took about two weeks to be completed.
27th July
This product review update is similar to the previous one and improves the existing algorithm changes. It took just five days to complete.
20th September
The year’s final product review update started on the 20th of September and concluded within just 6 days on the 26th of September. It adds to the existing product review update to better reward the helpful reviews.This is the only update in the year that overlaps with a core update for 2022.
Core Updates for 2022
A core update is a broad change that alters the search algorithms and systems. Google usually announces these core updates. Such updates profoundly impact how Google interprets web pages, decides rankings, and this ultimately can affect the website’s revenue.
While Google announces the time of the core updates, they do not state the details of the update and how they affect the page rankings.
Whenever Google announces its core update, they usually point out the Google search-ranking best practice document, which has been unchanged since 2019. The general advice is to focus on the content more than anything else.
The May 2022 core update started to roll out on the 25th of May and was completed on June 9th. Since this is a broad core update, many sites saw significant drops or gains after this core update.
The second and last core update for 2022 started on the 12th of September and was completed in 15 days on the 26th of September.
Sometimes, pages might get hit severely after the core update. The only way to ensure that you do not see a huge drop in the rankings, it is better to follow the guidelines laid down by Google and follow the best practices for your content.
Helpful Content Update (Aug 25)
Google’s helpful content update is arguably the most significant in 2022. It adds new signals to the automated system rankings to help the search engine provide better results to the user.
This update ensures that the search results comprise original, helpful content that adds value to the visitor. This update negatively targets any content specifically written to rank better in the Google search engines rather than help the user.
Since this update, any content that adds little value to the user and is not considered helpful would not rank well in the search results.
This update generates a site-wide signal that checks for content that does not add value. Removing any unhelpful content on the website is recommended to handle this update better. Since the content classifier uses a machine learning model, this update applies to all languages.
The following are some tips to help you write content that is in compliance with the helpful content update:
- Since the update focuses on people-first content, writing for your audience is a good practice. Start with the question “Who is this content for?” then cover areas that the target audience might be interested in learning.
- Rather than providing a lengthy paragraph for answers, providing short and crisp answers that are to the point is the best way to answer questions. Any content similar to clickbait which offers misleading information should be avoided.
- Ensure that you review all the old content on your website and remove any content that proves unhelpful. The update affects not just the new content and considers all the old content as well.
- Always stay on topic and do not deviate from it. Answer all the factors related to the question. Do not focus on the word count more than the content.
- Ensure you provide first-hand experience on the topic rather than looking for various sources. The content may not be helpful or add value without first-hand experience.
- Focus on the overall user experience of the website. As much as you focus on the content, consider factors such as website responsiveness and loading speed.
Spam Update 2022
The spam update started to roll out on 19th October. This update is targeted more toward the spammy side of search results.
The link spam update targets spam sites that harm and mislead users. Google focuses on these updates to filter such spammy results and ensure they do not rise in search results.
Google works on improving its spam prevention system to help it catch and prevent bringing up any new type of spam. Any site that sees changes in its rankings after the spam update should check on the spam policies of Google. These changes would occur over a long time after the spam prevention system learns that the website complies with the spam policies.
Another version of a similar update is the link spam update that Google rolled out on 14th December. This update focuses on improving the spam detection system and improves the ability to detect buying links and sites used to pass links.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a Google Update?
A Google update is a change or an update in the existing policies or in the algorithm that affects the search engine results rankings. There are different updates that are rolled out in a year and they all aim to improve the search result experience and weed out the pages that do not offer any valuable information to the user.
2. What are the Google algorithm updates in 2022?
In 2022, Google has had a Page Experience Update for desktop, Product review updates, Core updates, and spam updates.
3. What is the Google Helpful Content Update?
The helpful content update is one of the most significant Google algorithm update in 2022. It aims to provide the content that has value to the user with better rankings than those that are unrelated to the user queries.
In Conclusion
Google has rolled out multiple updates for the year 2022. It is necessary to keep track of these updates and monitor the rankings of your website. In comparison, some updates might not offer you a complete insight into the drop in your rankings. Keeping your content in line with the Google search ranking best practices and compliance with spam policies is better than seeing your website rankings take a hit.
